By Mummy Grace 
The Detroit Lions have reached agreements to hire John Morton as their new offensive coordinator and promote Kelvin Sheppard to defensive coordinator, according to a source close to the situation. The agreements, which have not been publicly announced, were confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday night.
Following a disappointing NFC playoff exit at the hands of the Washington Commanders, Detroit lost both of its coordinators to head coaching jobs. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was hired by the Chicago Bears, and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn left to take the head coaching position with the New York Jets.
Both Johnson and Glenn were finalists for The Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award. Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who is also a finalist for AP Coach of the Year, had anticipated the departures of his coordinators and had already prepared for their potential exits.
Campbell also emphasized that quarterback Jared Goff would play a significant role in selecting the new offensive coordinator. “I want to make sure Goff is comfortable,” Campbell said. Goff, who thrived under Johnson’s leadership, is familiar with Morton, who served as a senior offensive assistant for the Lions in 2022.
Morton’s experience spans over two decades in coaching, with stints at various NFL teams, including the Broncos, Lions, Raiders, Jets, New Orleans, and San Francisco. He was hired by Denver in 2023 as their passing game coordinator, a role he held for two seasons. Morton, who grew up in suburban Detroit, was also an All-Mid American Conference wide receiver at Western Michigan.
Meanwhile, Sheppard, who has been with the Lions since 2021, is set to take over as the defensive coordinator. Sheppard, who played linebacker in the NFL, has spent the past three seasons coaching the Lions’ linebackers and was previously the outside linebackers coach in 2021. Campbell gave Sheppard his first coaching opportunity after he worked as LSU’s director of player development in 2020.
This reshuffling sets the stage for Detroit’s next chapter as they continue to build on their promising 2024 season.